1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a Converged Personal Network Service (CPNS), in which a Consumer Electronics (CE) device accesses an external network and receives a service from the external network by using a communication function of a device capable of accessing an external network, and more particularly to an apparatus and a method for establishing a Personal Network (PN) with the CE devices by using a device capable of accessing an external network as a gateway.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the exponential increase of CE devices capable of performing Near Field Communication (NFC), such as MP3 players, Portable Multimedia Players (PMP), game players, and laptop computers (Notebooks), users are now pursuing a more convenient method for downloading content.
In general, a user finds content reproducible in a CE device, through the Internet, by using a Personal Computer (PC) and then downloads the content onto the PC. Thereafter, the CE is connected to the PC through a dedicated cable, and the CE device downloads the content from the PC. Only after performing this process, can the CE reproduce the corresponding content. Currently, the devices can share content by using a Bluetooth® scheme in place of a dedicated cable.
However, the methods, by which a CE device itself can directly access an external network, are still extremely limited. For example, some CEs can access an external network only when they can use the Internet via WiFi in an area including an Access Point (AP). Therefore, a necessity has emerged for a method by which devices (CEs) capable of performing an NFC but incapable of directly accessing an external network can access the external network through a gateway and use a desired service, such as content downloading. In an effort to meet such a necessity, the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA), for establishing application standards, has proposed a CPNS.
The CPNS refers to a service, in which a PN includes a gateway device, for communicating with an external network, and a CE device, for reproducing actual service and content. The CE device then accesses a service/content provider in the external network through the gateway and receives the service or content.